New Spider Species Discovered in Alabama Housing Subdivision

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In the heart of Auburn, Ala., researchers have discovered a new
species of trapdoor spider right under their feet, they reported
Tuesday (May 8).

Named in honor of Auburn University's tiger mascot, the spider is
now affectionately called the Auburn tiger trapdoor spider or
Myrmekiaphila tigris. It belongs to the genus that
includes among its now 12 species the famous M.
neilyoungi, from Birmingham, Ala.,
named for rocker Neil Young.

"The discovery of a new species in a well-developed area like
this further demonstrates the amount of
biodiversity on our planet that remains unknown," study
researcher Jason Bond of the Auburn University Museum of Natural
History, said in a statement. "We know so little about our home
planet and the other organisms that inhabit it with us."

Trapdoor spiders are close relatives of
tarantulas and funnel web spiders, and look similar, though
they have less hair on their bellies and legs that appear to be
polished.

The spiders craft underground burrows that they cover, as their
name suggests, with a hinged door, though not all members of the
group construct these trap doors.

"Just as orb-weaving spiders make webs out of silk, these more
primitive spiders also use silk, but not [for webs]," Norman
Platnick of the American Museum of Natural History told
LiveScience back in 2008 when he and Bond described the
Neil Young spider. "They use it to line burrows, and an extension
of the lining is part of the trap door."

In addition to keeping out pests, the door allows spiders to
ambush prey. When an unsuspecting insect or other prey walks
across the door, the spider feels the vibrations and lurches from
the burrow, pulling its now-bitten victim into its lair.

Until now, scientists had grouped this
trapdoor spider in with the species M. foliata due
to superficial similarities. However, after closer examination,
Bond and his colleagues found differences in morphology between
the two. "The key differences were primarily related to
differences in the male genitalia, modifications of the male
copulatory device (the pedipalp), often used to distinguish among
spider species," Bond told LiveScience in an email.

Paired with genetic analysis, the researchers now say the two are
separate species.

"Despite the physical uniqueness of these specimens, the use of
DNA as an alternate, less subjective line of evidence for
recognizing the species was warranted, given our excitement with
discovering a new species literally in our own backyards," Bond
said.

The spiders are just a few centimeters long, with females being
larger and more "robust," Bond said. Males can be found in
relatively large numbers wandering neighborhood sidewalks, in
swimming pools and even in home garages between November and
December, the researchers noted. That's when sexually mature
males (at ages 5 or 6) emerge from their burrows on
a mission to find a mate.

Females are much more secretive, and longer-lived, spending their
15- to 20-year lives in their burrows, which are often more
intricate with side chambers equipped with additional underground
trap doors.

The new species is described in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

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